Croydon and Christianity  

I grew up in Croydon, but my childhood was not particularly spiritual. Although my mum identified as Christian, she didn’t practise the religion, and going to church was more of a chore than a meaningful experience. My dad was not religious at all. When my parents separated, I was ten, and my life became a series of transitions, moving between homes and dealing with family complexities. 

Spirituality or religion didn’t play a significant role in my upbringing. During my teenage years, I had brief moments of interest in Christianity, but it was short lived due to differences in religious opinion. Despite the lack of religious centrality, I always tried to uphold a virtuous life to my own standards. 

Meaning in Manchester  

When I was 18 I left my home to study in Manchester. However, I wasn’t happy there and isolated myself. In search of meaning, I turned to different religious and spiritual texts such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and even explored the Quran. The ideas they presented added to my own understanding and helped me advance but I felt as if I could not be a part of their communities. 

During this time, I felt like a guiding hand was protecting me from making any foolish decisions that might have impacted my spiritual growth in the long run. I think even at the time I was aware of this – but I didn’t have the language to express the protection I received. 

Feeling lost and without direction, I made the bold decision to drop out of university, hoping to regain control over my life. 

I went back to London but felt stifled, so I returned to Manchester in June 2018. As my lease hadn’t run out yet, I decided to keep my own space and spent my days listening to podcasts and reading books that helped me understand the meaning of life.  

Summer’s Day Stroll  

One day, while I was walking, two youth named Saksham Taneja and Aron Foley approached me with some thought-provoking questions from the 2013 Youth Conference material: How do you view the role of your generation in society? What high purpose shapes your individual and collective actions? 

I was amazed as it felt like they were speaking directly to the things I had been pondering on. We had some fascinating discussions about the role of older youth in mentoring younger ones. 

Three days later, they introduced me to junior youth materials, which intrigued me as it felt like the kind of knowledge I had been searching for. After that, I was invited to study book one at Aron and Amarr Wright’s flat, and that’s when things finally started to click for me spiritually. It was the first time I was explicitly told about the Bahá’í Faith. The concepts resonated deeply with me, and the section on life after death struck a chord as I began to realise the gravity of the Faith. 

The youth then invited me to attend summer school, which was a turning point for me. Studying The Dawn-breakers with Ronnie Bindra and Daniel Cleasby opened my eyes to a whole new understanding. I felt an immediate connection to the stories and the spiritual truths they contained. I also had the opportunity to meet some descendants of the heroes we were reading about when I was introduced to some Persian friends. It made me think that these events didn’t happen a long time ago. And on the first day of summer school, I declared. 

I unhesitatingly told all of my family and friends about this new Faith I had joined. Although my immediate family remained relatively indifferent, some extended relatives expressed concerns about my declaration. At the age of 21, I was capable of making my own decisions and didn’t give much weight to their opinions. 

Confirmations  

I was truly ablaze after summer school. I remember teaching the Faith to people on my way home. 

Integration into the Bahá’í community in Manchester was seamless, thanks to the guidance of individuals like Aron and Farah Khavari. Their example inspired me to embrace service and teaching. 

But my journey didn’t end there. It took me beyond the familiar streets of Manchester to places like Kendal in Cumbria. Farah encouraged me to participate in my first teaching project there. 

I threw myself into deepening. I wasn’t an avid reader but I dived rapidly into Bahá’í literature. 

The power of divine confirmation was very apparent but I recall it clearly the year after my declaration. It was a rainy day, I had little time to participate in a teaching project taking place but I felt this strong pull to go out and do what I could. I said the Tablet of Ahmad a number of times and took myself out. Teaming up with Alisha Nur, we decided to venture to a different area than planned, despite the downpour. And that decision led us to encounter a youth, who became intrigued by our conversation despite the weather. Bahá’u’lláh had truly led a receptive soul to us and he shortly declared his belief in Him too. 

___________________ 

Reuben Mondesir  

Ridvan 2024 

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